PS 3513 

1553 G5 

1922 



-GLIL^iNINGS 



.MUD 



i/EAVirsi(:;;s 






ISiMJEI.L.A, GUJlJilTT 



GLEANINGS 



AND 



WEAVINGS 



BY 

ISABELLA GILLETT 



SAN FRANCISCO 
MARVIN CLOYD 

1922 



c,35 



^s 



Q-^ 






Copyright, 1922 
By ISABELLA GILLETT 

all rights reserved 

Published January, 1922 

San Francisco 



FEB -I 1922 



©n!.A654467 



DEDICATED TO:- 

Voices that speak and the heart still sway 
Though years may have passed since the bygone day 
When Friendship's sweet bond and Love's sweet truth 
First answered my heart in childhood and youth. 

THE AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS 

Page 

Sealed Melodies 3-4 

The Star of Peace 5-6 

Enthrallmcnt 7 

California 8-9-10 

Yesterday 11 

Youth 12 

One Flag 13-14 

Content 15 

Aftermath 16-17 

A Voice From the Heart 18-19 

The Narrower Way 20-21 

The Lading 22-23 

Ingratitude 24-25 

The Flight 26-27 

Lullaby 28-29 

Tramp 30-31-32 

Incertitude 33-34 

Fortune's Quest 35-36-37 

The Goblet 38-39 

San Francisco 40-41 

A Crooked Stick 42-43-44 

Reputation 45-46 

The Blunder 47 

Opportunity 48-49-50 

(Continued on Next Page) 



CONTENTS— Continued 

Page 

The Heart of a Rose 51 

Over the Waves 52 

Night's Benison 53-54 

Memories 55-56-57-58 

Bubbling Waters 59-60 

Little Feet. ., 61-62 

Destiny's Torch 63 

Doubting Heart 64-65 

The Derelict 66-67 

Friendship 68 

Hearth and Home 69-70 

Love Song 71-72 

The Rainbow 73 

A Fantasy. 74-75-76 

A Woman's Smile 77 

The Silence 78 

The Girl of My Dreams 79-80 

The Quiet of Night 81 

Forgetfulness 82 

Hidden 83-84 

Winter .85-86 

Sleep 87-88 

Remembrance 89 



SEALED MELODIES 

OEEP — deep — v/ithin my slumber 
There breathes, within my dreams, 
Melody entrancing — 
So sweet — to me — it seems. 
In my heart its music 
There first the notes I hear, 
Then through my thought soft weaving 
It breathes upon my ear. 
Ah — the haunting sweetness — 
I linger o'er each note, 
Caressing in its cadence, 
That in my dream I wrote ! 
Awakening from my slumber 
My fingers seek the strain, — 
But fugitive — elusive — 
They seek in vain — in vain. 

Deep — deep — within my slumber, 
Within my dream breathe words 
That to me — in my dreaming — 



[3] 



Transcend the song of birds. 
Ah — the depth — the meaning — 
Revealed in verse — its rhyme, 
Ah — the beauty seeming 
Pregnant in each line ! 
My pulsing heart-beats quicken — 
My heart so richly fraught, 
My inmost being thrilling 
To the lading of my thought. 
Awakening from my slumber 
Vain — vain — I seek each word — 
Deep sealed within my dreaming,- 
Its voice — its song — unheard. 



[4] 



THE STAR OF PEACE 

^^:;^HERE in the sky its glistening light 
^^ Bright and brighter glowed — 
The Star that through the darkness of night 
The way to the Savior showed. 

The shepherds — it met their startled gaze 

And as its effulgence they saw 

It filled their thoughts with wond'ring amaze, 

Their hearts it filled with awe. 

The shepherds — they followed the Star to where 

Unswervingly it led — 

To where a Mother and a Babe so fair 

Lay in a lowly bed, — 

Sweet Mary and the Christ whose Birth 

In that Manger in Bethlehem 

Brought the message to all the earth: — 

"Peace on earth. Good-will to men." 

"Peace on earth. Good-will to men" — 
The Savior's heart there lies, — 



[5] 



Those words — He lived and died for them ; 
Who now that Cause denies? 

The heart of the world now bleeding, 
By combat, by conflict torn, — 
It cries for Christ's interceding — 
That His Spirit again be born. 
The earth — how long must it suffer 
Ere its strife be done 
And nation to nation offer 
The hand in fellowship won, — 
The wounds of the world — its blood — 
Stanched by the spirit of love, — 
Nation with nation in brotherhood 
Blessed by His Spirit above? 

"Peace on earth, Good-will to men" — 
That Cause may we maintain — 
Nor let the Savior's Blood have been — 
His Cross have been — in vain. 



[6] 



ENTHRALLMENT 

y=j^OONLIGHT softly gleaming 

t.1^ Silvering night and sea; 

Stars — the sky bright beaming — 

A glistening canopy ; 

Wavelets, gently lulling, 

Lap and lave my boat, — 

Thought and spirit dulling 

To this world — its note ; 

Melody sweet breathing 

On the listening air — 

A guitar so lightly weaving 

Through a love-song's prayer; — 

My boat soft rising — falling, — 

Music's subtle spell, — 

The moon, the stars, enthralling, 

Allure — entice — compel ; — 

This world I lose — its meaning, — 

Thought and spirit float 

In fairyland — its seeming — 

As idly rocks my boat. 



[7] 



CALIFORNIA 

©Y the waves of the blue Pacific, 
O'erlooking the waters wide, 
She lies in her beauty magnetic, 
Fair — by the ocean's side. 
The ocean comes to her door, 
It enters the Golden Gate, 
It laps and leaps on her shore, 
California — our Golden State ! 
From his throne, the sun, looking down, 
Lends to her beauty and grace 
The gold of his mantle and crown — 
Touches with glory her face. 
And the blue of the sky above 
Seems to loiter — to linger there — 
As loath to leave labors of love 
It smiles on our state so fair ; — 
Smiles upon hill and dale, 
On bay, on lake, on stream ; 
Smiles upon mountain and vale 
In their chequered beauty seen ; 



[83 



upon the forests' grandeur, 

On stalwart redwood trees 

That rise aloft and tower 

Undaunted by storm and breeze ; 

Upon the marvel, solemnity. 

Of dome, of waterfall, — 

The wonders of Yosemite 

That to the wide world call ; 

Smiles upon the verdure 

With which the fullness of earth 

Gives in harvests' measure 

To California's golden birth ; 

Gives from vine and vineyard, 

Pasture green and field 

Where Nature proves ne'er laggard 

Nor niggard with earth's yield ; 

Orange grove, and olive, 

Green and golden grain, 

Orchards — fruit and blossom — give 

Claim to golden fame. 

Rising up to their height, 

Embracing her in their length, 

Mountains guard in their might 



[9] 



Our state with their rugged strength ; 
And they render to her their wealth 
In treasure from richness of veins, 
In dower of vigor and health, 
In tribute of moisture and rains. 

California ! The charms are golden 
Where opens the Golden Gate — 
But ever must be beholden 
To speak our Golden State. 
Nature's voice, — glen and glade — 
Rippling rill and brook — 
Forest fern — leaf and shade, — 
Speaks no written book. 
Sylvan bowers — golden hours — 
Note and song of birds — 
Fairest gardens — sweetest flowers — 
Speak ne'er written words. 



[10] 



YESTERDAY 

^^5^ HE day — it fled on the wings of the morrow 
V^_J But the breath still lives of its passing hours, 
Lives in the buds — lives in the blossoms — 
Lives in the fragrance of the sweetest flowers. 

Yesterday ! It could not linger 

But it speaks again in the song of the birds, — 

Their sweetest lay brings again 

The echo of soft whispered words. 

The rays of the sun more golden seem — 
The moon — the stars — more brightly gleam 
When in the garden of memory 
O'er those hours with you I linger and dream. 



[11] 



YOUTH 

TANDING at the cross-roads 
Where days of childhood end 
Not long we loiter, linger, 
Backward gaze to send. 
But brief the vision pauses 
On days so brief to last, 
Thought — it dwells but lightly 
On the milestone to be past. 
We seek the widening vista — 
Adventure — hopes — and dreams — 
The future with its visions 
A-light with glowing gleams. 
Youth, impatient, eager, 
Hastens — the milestone won — 
Hastens to follow the fireflies 
That gleaming lure it on. 



[12] 



ONE FLAG 

^I^E are here in God's own country, 

\XJ We are here with millions strong, 

Then in our strength so mighty 

Let our strength be strong ; 

Let our hearts united 

Be ever welded firm, 

Nor let our steps, benighted, 

To false gods ever turn ; 

But one united people 

With strength to do and dare. 

To our country faithful, 

Our loyalty declare. 

Let one flag wave o'er us, 
The red, white and blue — 
With stars to ever guide us, 

Loyal hearts and true; — 
One flag to which our nation 

Shall allegiance pay, — 
Nor let diverse occasion 



[13] 



Win our faith away. 
One Flag ! Should foe conspire 
Let not our footsteps lag, 
But hearts and homes inspire 
To rally 'round our flag ! 

We are here in God's own country, 
We are here with millions strong,- 

Then in our strength so mighty 

Let our strength be strong. 

With faith in God and Country 
One banner let us bear, — 
With unity — with loyalty — 

Our record will be fair. 

The Stars and Stripes wave o'er us, 
The red, white and blue. 

Its stars to ever guide us — 
Hearts to Country true ! 
The Stars and Stripes forever ! 
Destiny awaits — 
Awaits with fairest dower 
Our fair UNITED STATES ! 



[14] 



CONTENT 

^^^^1:^0 grow along the wayside 
%^\/ One flower blooming there 
That brief though be its hour 
Breathes sweetly on the air ; 
To touch the slumbering strings 
And in the notes to hear 
One strain that softly soothing 
Should reach some wearied ear ; 
To paint within a canvas 
Picturing the night 
One ray with brush that humble 
Yet speaks the sunrise bright ; — 
When the day were waning, 
The sun — its rays — near-spent, — 
In the glow of the sunset. 
The heart would feel content. 



[15 



AFTERMATH 

OFTLY, softly, speak not so fast — 
For hasty words too long may last, 
And the word you speak so swift today 
Long may linger, long may stay. 
To hasty words we give little thought 

To the weight with which they may be fraught, 

Nor heed their aftermath of sorrow 

That may freight each day and freight each morrow ; 

For though light spoken, words have not wings — 

But import that remains, that clings, 

And Memory with her pen and file 

Is writing, is writing all the while. 

For Memory — though it be with tears — 

Must keep the record of the years. 

Many a day that dawns so bright — 
Ere the dawn brings on the night, 
Memory weeps o'er the hasty word 
That by the ear of Friendship heard — 
Friendship's seed, though tenderly sown, 



[16] 



The bud — the flower — in the dust are thrown ; — 
And Memory — though she weep o'er the word- 
Who can recall the word, once heard? 
And though we weep o'er words hasty spoken — 
Who can restore the Friendship broken? 

Many a day that dawns so bright — 

Ere the dawn brings on the night, 

Love lies heavy in the throes of death — 

Slain by the word whose fatal breath, 

Barbed with keen and bitter dart, 

Pierces again and again the heart. 

Memory — though she weep o'er the word — 

Who can recall the word — once heard? 

And we — though we weep o'er Love's death-bed- 

Who can restore to life the dead? 

Softly, softly, speak not so fast, 

For hasty words too long may last ; — 

Friendship — its dirge too often is sung — 

Too often Love's grave is dug — by the tongue. 



[17] 



A VOICE FROM THE HEART 

eO, fond thought, and to her speak 
The love that lies within my heart- 
The love that lips and tongue are weak 
Its weight and import to impart! 

Go, fond thought, and speak the hope 
That lies within my inmost soul 
And lures me ever on to grope 
Toward one fondly cherished goal ! 

Speak to her of nights and days 
Passed in darkness, deep, profound. 
Unless broken by the rays 
Of light that in her eyes are found. 

Speak to her of golden dreams 
That wrap the hours, waking, sleeping, 
When touched by the glowing gleams 
Of the love that I am seeking. 



[18] 



Go, fond thought, and to her speak 
The love that fills my heart so bold — 
The love that lips and tongue are weak 
Its world of longing to unfold ! 



[19] 



e 



THE NARROWER WAY 

OD, give us Faith — to carry on, — 
Faith — to hold to the end, — 
Through the doubts that now do frown — 
Doubts that our Faith now rend. 
God, lead us back to the narrower way 
That our fathers knew, — 
Nor let our footsteps longer stray 
From the path that leads to You. 
Too great the distance we have made 
From our fathers' thought, — 
Too great the distance we have strayed 
In new pathways sought, — 
Newer pathways lined with fears. 
Strewn with shattering hopes, — 
Pathways where through doubt and tears 
Our wavering Faith now gropes ; 
Pathways where our hectic joy 
Ever more does tend 
Our life, our being, to destroy 



[20] 



As we those pathways wend. 
Ever does the road we go 
Have its mete and bound; — 
Let our Faith sink not so low 
That it rest within the ground. 

From the worldly passion — pleasure 

That now our senses lure, 

Lead us back to the fuller measure 

Of life and joy more pure. 

Give us Faith— to hold to the treasure 

Where leads the narrower path-^ 

That, with Faith, we escape the measure, 

God, of coming wrath ! 



[21] 



THE LADING 

T dawn — in the sun's early hours — 
When earth was still moist with dew, 
I sought and I gathered these flowers 
Where in their beauty they grew. 

With dewdrops their petals are laden — 
They lie in the heart of each flower — 
Ah — if the dewdrops knew 
The thought in my heart each hour ! 

The flowers — I would that they could speak 
When they from me depart ; 
I would they could tell the longing 
That speaks within my heart. 

Their fragrance — I would that it could breathe 
The sweetness of the dream 
That led me on my pathway 
This morn at dawn's early gleam. 



[22] 



Ah — if the flowers could speak — 
Could breathe a subtle spell 
That would incline the heart 
To list to the tale they tell ! 

The dewdrops — were each a gem. 
Each gem— its beauty— were thine 
In jewelled crown— in diadem- 
Offered at love's shrine ! 



[23] 



INGRATITUDE 

^^^HERE came a little stranger 

V/J And stood outside my gate,— 

So little and so lonesome, 

So patient did he wait. 

That seeming quite pathetic 

In his sorry plight, 

I took him in and warmed him 

By my hearthside bright. 

I gave to him the best 

My heart it could afford, — 

Most generous I thought I shared 

With him my store — its hoard ; 

But ah, the little rascal ! 

How could he treat me so ? 

Ne'er I thought ingratitude 

Could ever sink so low ! 

Unthinking and unseeing — 

One day I felt a smart 

And found an arrow planted — 



[24] 



Imbedded in my heart. 
That Httle beggar, Cupid, 
Had shared my fare with me 
And then, his arrow piercing. 
He but mocked me in his glee. 



[25] 



THE FLIGHT 

V?=^OPE with its brilliant plumage 
IP Spreads its wings on the air ; — 
Fluttering — it rises, — poising — it soars, 
And leaves our fostering care. 
One moment its brilliant plumage 
We see it gleaming bright, — 
And then the distance claiming — 
It fades upon our sight. 
Ah — the wayward wanderer — 
What perils may it greet, — 
The night, the darkness falling, 
How will it the shadows meet? 
What arrow wanton speeding 
Through the air may speak; — 
What eagle's talons hovering 
Ruthless its life may seek? 
Could our prayers but guard it 
On its winged flight ! 
Could our hearts but guide it 
There beyond our sight ! 



[26] 



But circumscribed — our hearts 
Must linger, tempest-tost, — 
Our vision too proscribed 
May not pursue its course. 
Circumscribed — our hearts 
Can but tend the gate 
Until the wayward pinions — 
By the guiding finger of Fate — 
Seek the cage where — luring — 
Wide we hold the door 
That Hope — we pray — returning- 
May enter and leave no more. 



[27] 



LULLABY 

©YE-LOW— baby dear- 
Twinkling stars are peeping 
To see my baby here 
Softly, sweetly sleeping. 

Bye-low — baby dear — 
The silver moon is gleaming 
To see my baby here 
Softly, sweetly dreaming. 

Bye-low — baby dear — 
Flowrets are reposing, — 
Pretty posies, baby dear. 
They are softly dozing. 

Bye-low — baby dear — 
In the branches nestling 
The little birdies, baby dear, 
They too now are resting. 



[28] 



Bye-low — baby dear — 
The sandman is a-creeping,- 
Soon my little baby here 
Will be gently sleeping. 

Bye-low — baby dear — 
Moon and stars are beaming 
For they see my baby dear 
Softly, sweetly dreaming. 



[29] 



TRAMP 

>|^HO was his father?" 

\^y That's one of those jokes 

For he's one doesn't bother 

About claiming of folks. 

He's only "just dog"— 

That's what they say ; 

Several kinds of a dog — 

If you'll have it that way. 

He makes no claim 

As a pedigreed pup 

But he's not to blame 

For his birth or bring-up. 
* * * 

"My own pedigree?" 
Well — what's that to you? 
It's enough — I had family 
And bringing up, too ; 
Yes, I'd a home, 
Friends and money; 
Now, as I roam 
It seems kind of funny. 
Just a hobo — 



[30] 



Only a bum — 
I guess I've sunk low, — 
And it's all from rum. 
* * * 

"Why don't I try 

To cut out the booze ?" 

When it once gets a guy 

He's lost grit to choose. 

Kicked from some door 

Begging a bite 

Perhaps I get sore 

But— I can't make the fight.— 

It seems kind of queer 

In this little old world 

How some pages are clear 

And some, blotted and blurred. 

What the great scheme is 

Some day p'raps we'll know 

When each fellow gets his 

On high or below. 

But it's no use to whine 

About what we may get, 

For when I get mine 

I've deserved it, you bet. — 

But that little fellow— 



[31] 



They call him a cur — 

But he's got no yellow 

If his blood isn't pure. 

He's got no family 

In the Hall of Fame 

But my old Tramp — he 

Could make his own name. 

He's not much to look at — 

Kind of ornery like — 

But it's more than looks that 

Makes a man or a tyke ; 

It's the heart inside — 

Not the looks alone — 

And that dog would divide 

With me, his last bone. 

And my old Tramp — 

Gosh-darn his old hide — 

I wouldn't trade that scamp 

For the whole world beside. 
* * * 

And you ask "Is he game?" sir- 

"And can he fight?"— Well 

Just touch his master, sir. 
And he'll fight like— hell ! 



[32] 



INCERTITUDE 

HAIN my heart would speak — 
And yet would it refrain 
Nor lose the moment's hope 
For all-persistent pain. 

Would my heart could steal 
The secret where it lies 
Hid within the depths 
Of guiling, guarded eyes ! 

Could heart but read those lips 
Inscrutable, — if read — 
Their word — were not — when heard- 
Rather left unsaid ! 

Ah, cruel Thought! To know 
And charms so freely paint, — 
And wishful heart to leave 
In conflict torn and faint ! 



[33] 



For fain my heart would speak 
And yet would hesitate 
To brave the "Yes" or "No" 
Of the baffling lips of Fate. 



[34] 



FORTUNE'S QUEST 

QO coffers I ask of silver or gold, — 
No caskets of precious stones, — 
I ask no sway of power to hold 
That lies in monarch's thrones. 
I ask but the wealth that lies in the length 
And the width of the world so wide, — 
I ask but the sceptre that lies in the strength 
Of care-free heart — and stride. 
I ask but the wealth, the fortune that lies 
In the vault that domes the earth; 
I ask but the fortune that lies 'neath the skies, 
That circles the earth, its girth. 
But the gold, I ask, of the rays of the sun 
To meet my eyes, my vision, — 
And the glistening stars and the silvery moon- 
The gleaming jewels of heaven, — 
To see the sun rise to its height — 
To see the sunset glow — 
The moon and stars light up my night — 
The dawn's first gleam to know ; — 



[35] 



To roam o'er hill — to roam o'er dale — 

O'er country-side and road, — 

To know the mountain — know the vale- 

Nor know no fixed abode; — 

To see the mountains meet the sky 

Where in the clouds they hide, — 

To see white sails go scudding by 

Where they the ocean ride ; — 

To climb the cliff — the height to scale — 

And from the apex — crown — 

Where ends the narrow winding trail 

Upon the world look down. 

I ask the wealth that lies in field — 

Within the garden-bower, — 

The beauty and the fragrant yield 

Of bud and leaf and flower. 

I ask the wealth in glen and glade — 

In woodland dell and dingle — 

To wander 'neath the forest's shade 

Where fern and bracken mingle ; — 

To tread the needles of the pine — 

To lie by running stream — 

To idly cast the hook and line 



[36] 



Where finny tribes do teem. 
I ask the wealth in song of birds — 
In voice of rippling brook; — 
I ask the wealth within the words 
And leaves of Nature's book. 

Keep your caskets and your coffers, 
Let monarch hold his throne, — 
But give to me where Fortune offers 
The wide world free to roam. 



[37] 



THE GOBLET 

gS strain of music elusive, 
They hover on confines of dream, — 
As the firefly in the pathway — 
To flit with fugitive gleam. 
They came — they went — golden moments, 
They came — they sped on their way — 
To haunt the dream in sleeping — 
To flit with the break of day. 
Ah — to have held one hour, 
Hid so deep away 
That never its joy, its sweetness, 
Might steal, be stolen away. 
The bee ever stores its honey 
Sipping from flower to flower, — 
Of those golden moments garnered 
Ah — to have stored one hour! 
One hour — one hour — its nectar — 
Hid deep in the depths of the heart — 
To drink — to sip — at the pleasure — 
To quench the thirst of the heart. 



[38] 



In the garden I wait — I linger — 
I linger there alone, — 
I seek the blossoms — the flowers, — 
Their joy— their sweetness— have flown. 
Golden the moments garnered, — 
Gleaned from the fruitage of years, — 
But Memory drinks from a goblet 
Filled— not with nectar — but tears. 



[39] 



SAN FRANCISCO 

^^^ HOUGH far the footsteps wander— 

^^ Though far may stray the thought- 

Though far the heart a-roving 

The dream of life has sought — 

Ever a spell recalls 

And ever it lures one back — 

Back to San Francisco — 

Back to its beaten track. 

Though far in life's adventure 
The vivid fancy stray, 
Seeking treasure, pleasure. 
Along the world's highway, 
Ne'er the venturer finds 
The charms that ever await 
And bring again to the portal — 
Again to the Golden Gate. 



[40] 



San Francisco ! Never the heart 
May your pathway learn 
But footsteps that depart 
Again and again must return. 
Your subtle powers endure 
And ever hold captivate 
Hearts that enter your door 
There by the Golden Gate ! 



[41] 



A CROOKED STICK 

^^s^ HERE were suitors who came and courted me, 

% ^J And suitors there were who left me free; — 

For Dick — I liked not the shape of his nose, — 

And Harry — I liked not the style of his clothes; 

William — he walked all too weightily, — 

And Peter — he talked all too pompously; 

Mathew and Tom — I had loved none the less 

Did they not to me their love confess. 

And so 'twas said — "Too long you'll tarry — 

A crooked stick in the end you'll marry." 

When John looked my way with his dignified air 
The years had sprinkled with gray his hair, 
But the years that brought him the touch of gray 
Had brought John much in a worldly way, — 
For his pockets well-filled, his bank account 
Ah me, — it was ever a goodly amount ; — 
While Jerry — alas — were his pockets many — 
Of pockets, Jerry, he needed not any, — 



[42] 



For his coat was shabby in the light of the SUti 

For of dollars Jerry had few or none ; 

But who could think of silver or gold 

When Jerry's eyes looked tender, yet bold, 

And when 'neath the stars we wandered together 

My heart was light — as light as a feather, — 

And when on my ear his whisper I heard 

My heart it sang — it sang like a bird. 

But ever they said — "Too long you'll tarry — 

A crooked stick in the end you'll marry." 

John — his air was most dignified 

As I walked from the church at his side a bride 

And in the years I have been his wife 

Little he has known of storm or strife, — 

For John had the wisdom that comes with age 

And could tame a bird in a gilded cage. 

But as the bird that beats 'gainst the bars 

Times there are when 'neath the stars 

My heart, it flutters and then grows cold 

When I think of eyes once tender, yet bold, — 



t43l 



And times there are in my dreams when I hear 
A whisper breathed so soft in my ear 
And struggling to catch, so faint, its word — 
Times there are when mocking Fve heard 
An echo that speaks — "Too long you'll tarry ; 
A crooked stick in the end you'll marry." 



[44] 



REPUTATION 

XT may be that the heart 
May hold no thought of wrong 
Nor ne'er in life may part 
From principles held strong; 
But foolish lips there speak 
To mischief but inclined, — 
Malicious lips they seek 
Their mirrored wish to find. 
The wagging tongue of Rumor- 
Started on its course — 
Slackens not to seek nor 
Trace its lading's source ; 
With bridle held but light 
It makes but little matter 
If in its speed — its flight — 
Reputations shatter. 
Consistent with our thought 
Should our bearing be 
That no charge be brought 
Of actions all too free. 



[45] 



Fair Fame — that Fate has willed- 
We may not feel its worth, — 
But lack of it — unfilled — 
We know, in full, its dearth. 



(46] 



THE BLUNDER 

^^^HE day that we two parted 

^/^ Could you my thought have read 

As eager, so eager-hearted, 

Too swift the moments sped, — 

My thought — those words that thronging 

My heart it feared too bold 

And lips repressed their longing; — 

And then you thought me cold. — 

Cruel — that woman less free 

Must be in love's expression. 

And love it then should be 

Lost by its repression ! 

Pride — it could not cross 

The chasm dug by Fate 

Nor words repair their loss — 

Words they were too late ; — 

And now two lives asunder — 

Each in its separate path — 

Fate but laughs at its blunder 

Nor cares for its aftermath. 



[47 



OPPORTUNITY 

EAIR he stood in his conscious strength, 
In the full of his youth and his pride, 
Fair he stood and his eyes swept the length 
And the width of the world so wide. 

Long he gazed upon its arena, 

Upon the battle-field there, 

Where Pride, Ambition, Purpose, Endeavor, 

Array to do and to dare. 

Long he gazed, and with flashing eyes 
Stood fair in the morning sun 
As he gazed on the field, gazed on the prize, 
On the trophies to be won. 

At length he cried — "The field is mine — 
Its victory comes to me — 
To me the day in the fullness of time 
And the trophy whatever it be. 



[48] 



Be it Fortune, or be it Fame, 
Or Power that I choose. 
The day I claim, its glory gain, 
Nor ne'er the vantage lose !" 

Many the weapons that came to his hand, 
And each for his favor vied ; 
Many the weapons that failed his demand, 
He scouted and cast them aside. 

"This/^ he cried, "it fits not my birth, 
Nor measures this to my pride" ; 
''This," he cried, "it has not the worth 
For length of Ambition's stride !" 

Ever he sought the steel, its mettle. 
And ever the sun rose high ; 
And ever he cried, "When ends the battle ; 
At my feet the foe shall lie !" 

Ever persistent, Opportunity sought 
His eye, his favor to gain; 



[49 



But ever too humble to meet his thought, 
It met with his disdain. 

But when the day — its sun did wane, 
By its parting light 

The Weapon that sought his eye in vain 
On the field shone fair and bright; 

But the Youth, who stood in his conscious strength 

Fair — in the morning sun, — 

On the field he measured his length — 

The field the foe had won ! 



[50] 



THE HEART OF A ROSE 

y^u/ HEY buried my love beneath the sod ; 

V /y They buried my heart with the fall of the clod ; 

My heart, my soul, my hope, all lay 

With my love in the ground, in earth's cold clay ; 

Only my thought lived to v^eep 

O'er that grave in the ground, so cold, so deep ; 

Only my thought lived to be 

Mocked by its dreams and its memory. 

Beneath the sod where they buried my dead 

A seed I buried in that lowly bed, 

And in the thought that surges, that sears, 

The seed and the sod I watered with tears; 

Until at length the seed did 'wake 

And through the sodden clods did break 

Reaching upward to the day. 

Up to the sun's warm golden ray ; 

And there in the fullness of God's own hour 

It bloomed, it blossomed, in a glowing flower, — 

And the sodden clods did disclose 

God and my love in the heart of a rose. 



(Sll 



OVER THE WAVES 

y^^ Y ship is sailing on the sea 

\mJ^ And the portents I search them wishfully. 

Each lowering cloud that darkens the sky 

I watch it till it passes by. 

Each breeze that rising stirs the air 

I seek its import, foul or fair. 

The dawn I 'wait and the rising sun 

I trace it till its course be done 

And the moon and the stars with softer gleams 

Guide my ship with its hopes and its dreams. 

My hopes, my dreams, my ship it bears ; 

And my heart it follows it close with its prayers. 

But north, or south, or east, or west, 

Some day o'er the ocean, borne on its crest, 

Breasting the waves and riding free 

My ship will bring its lading to me. 



[52] 



NIGHT'S BENISON 

OAYLIGHT is fading, the flowers sink to rest, 
Shadows are falling, the birds seek their nest, 
Swiftly the curtain of night closes 'round 
Enfolding all nature within its arms ; 
Darkness and silence hold land and sea, 
Darkness and silence enveloping me. 
Out of the shadows that fold 'round my heart 
I send forth a prayer far into the dark : 
"Love, I am weary, the night is so long, 
I need thee, dear one, thee and thy song. 
Deep grow the shadows, fainter the gleams 
Of Hope's glowing rainbow and Love's golden 

dreams. 
Tears blind my eyes, so lonely the way, 
Vainly 1 'wait the day." 

Daylight has faded, the flowers are at rest, 
Shadows have fallen, birds are in the nest. 
Softly the curtain of night closing 'round 
Lulls tired nature to sleep in its arms. 
The moon, softly gleaming, silvers the night, 



[53] 



Twinkling stars beaming their vigils of light. 

Was it the breath of the slumbering flowers, 

Or the breeze faintly whispering in the still hours? 

"Love, I am waiting, the night is soon o'er, 

In the 'Forever' we shall part no more. 

Deep though the shadows, more glowing the gleams, 

Dawn still will come to Life's rainbow dreams, 

Beyond the starshine and moon's silver ray 

Is the golden, the glorious day." 



[54] 



MEMORIES 

©ACK to the past memory drifts, 
To the past, to far-gone days, 
Whose lure ever calls, whose charm never palls, 
And the wayward heart still sways ; 

Back to the past memory drifts, 
To the past, to far-gone scenes, 
Bearing the print of Time's ceaseless tread 
But still unchanged in dreams ; 

Back to the past, to days and scenes 
'Ere Time's indelible trace 
The furrows of years, the furrows of tears 
Left upon heart and face. 

Life may bring its meed of treasure — 
Ambition may bring success — 
Pride may work accomplishment 
In full or in excess — 



[551 



New years may bring new friends with grasp 
Of friendship strong and true — 
New loves — new hopes — sentiment, — 
To which we render due ; 

Yet back to the past Memory drifts 

To days beyond recall, — 

'Ere Life and its years, Time's furrows and tiers 

Built an ever encroaching wall. 

Back to the past Memory drifts, 
To the past, to far-gone days 
When happiness spun a web so sheer — 
Soft as a summer haze ; — 

Back to childhood's happy days 
Untouched by thought of the morrow — 
When encircling arms sheltered and kept 
From fear and harm and sorrow ; 

Back to childhood's happy hours, 
Fled upon gossamer wings, 



[56] 



Intangible to touch, elusive to clutch, 
And yet with power which clings ; 

Back to childhood's artless joys — 
The simple boon and pleasure. 
To childhood light as thistle-down 
But gaining later measure ; 

Back to childhood's hearts and hands — 
To early friends so dear, 

Whose greeting warm, now distant and gone. 
In thought we seem to hear ; 

Back to childhood's sheltering arms 
Whose close embrace we knew, 
Whose lips we pressed, whose hands caressed, 
In love, so fond, so true. 

Life may bring its meed of treasure — 
Ambition may bring success — 
Pride may work accomplishment 
In full or in txcess — 



[57] 



New years may bring new friends with grasp 
Of friendship strong and true — 
New loves — new hopes — sentiment, — 
To which we render due ; 

But oh — for childhood's hours and joys, 
The loving hearts we knew — 
The sheltering arms — the endearing charms — 
Now past and lost to view ! 

Oh — for childhood's happy days 

And scenes beyond recall 

Which linger in dreams — whose memory clings 

And holds the heart in thrall ! 



[58] 



BUBBLING WATERS 

FACE looked out into the night 

With eyes that sought a gleam of light ; 

Two hands were pressed against a heart 

Bruised and stricken in the world's grim mart; 

A breast there heaved with silent despair, 

Torn by grief and want and care. 

The twinkling stars lighted the dark 

But no ray — no gleam — no single spark 

Pierced that heart in its grim despair ; 

Pierced that breast in its struggle with care. 

God sat there in His Temple on High 

But no message was sent from the twinkling sky. 

Two hands that were pressed against a heart 

Toward Heaven did suddenly reach and dart; 

Two lips breathed forth a hurried prayer, 

Asking God's mercy in His Temple there ; 

A leap — a plunge — and the waters cold 

In their embrace a soul did hold. 

The twinkling stars lighted the night 

With ray — with gleam — with spark so bright, — 



[59] 



But only the bubbling waters revealed 
A grave and the anguish it concealed ; 
Only the bubbling waters told 
Of a heart so faint — and its leap so bold. 



[60] 



LITTLE FEET 

OO not hasten those little feet 
From their childhood ways, — 
Let them stay — nor hasten them 
Too soon from childhood days. 

Do not hasten those little feet 
Forth in the world so wide, — 
Let them by the hearth and home 
In childhood longer abide. 

Let those little hearts expand 
Longer in childhood's sun 
Nor let them shrink, nor let them wither 
Too soon from life's vast sum. 

All too soon those little feet 

Must bear those little lives 

And hearts forth to the world's arena — 

Forth to its fetters and gyves. 



[61] 



All too soon life's stern battle 

May win their joy away, — 

Ah ! Let them stay, — nor hasten them 

Too soon from childhood play ! 



[621 



DESTINY'S TORCH 



©REATHES there a land 'neath fairer skies 
Where fairer promise awaits 
Than the land o'er which our banner flies — 
The Flag of the United States? 

Destiny with her gleaming torch 
Seeks and searches our shore, — 
Destiny with a scroll so fair 
Stands waiting at our door. 

Our Country needs each loyal thought 
Inscribed within her name, — 
Our Country needs each heart enrolled 
In the roster of her fame. 

Freedom with her flag so fair 
Invites within her gates, — 
Destiny seeks with her promise there 
A united — United States. 



[63] 



DOUBTING HEART 

OOUBTING heart, why seek the depths 
When the heights are there to cHmb,— 
Why grovel in mud and mire when Thought 
Can on pinions fly? 
The earthworm grubbing in its lair 
Of night's dark prison-cells 
Yet ventures upward toward the day 
In blind gropings there; 

But you, — whose Thought and Fancy — free — 
Can untrammelled soar, — 
You grope 'mongst black and sodden clods 
Nor see blue sky above. 
The tiny seed hid in the bosom 
Of brooding Mother-earth — 
Held and nourished by the force 
And strength of her life-blood — 
Breaks from her restraining grasp, 
Ever upward striving. 
And in the ray of the golden sun 



[64] 



To golden grain does come. 

When all space lies about — 

When all nature speaks — 

When heart reaching forth to heart 

Does call and point Beyond — 

Why stay — why stumble — in pitfall 

Of cold and clinging clay, — 

Why not rise in thought, on pinion, 

To gleaming sun and sky? 



[65] 



THE DERELICT 

eONE! Hurled into Eternity 
With all his sins upon his head ! 
Gone ! To stand before the Almighty 
And lay his foul record bare ! 
Without a prayer the tie was severed 
That bound him to this earth, 
And hurtled through space, his soul was sped 
To the infinite vast Beyond. 
Oh mothers of men — as you gaze on your babes 
Today in their innocent beauty, 
Who can say how those feet may stray 
In the highways and byways of life ! 
Had he no mother — the limp figure there — 
There at the end of a rope, 
No proud mother who scoffed at the pain 
Of childbirth when it was o'er 
And she held to her breast the soft tender flesh 
Of the man-child she had borne ; 
No fond mother who wove tender dreams 
Mingled with mother-love prayers 



[66] 



As she fondled her babe in his sweet innocence 

And visioned his future so fair? 

And oh ! The horror and ghastly despair 

Had mother-love foreseen 

The child that she bore and nursed at her breast 

Dangling from the end of a rope ! 

Oh, God ! In love and infinite mercy 

Take the sweet babe in Thy care — 

That no more may the life commenced at the breast 

End on a rope in the air ! 

Oh, God ! In love and infinite mercy 

Open our eyes and our hearts — 

That we may see and we may straighten 

The tortuous pathways of youth ! 



[67] 



FRIENDSHIP 

OF the blessings that Heaven to Earth may give 
What joy, what wealth in Friendship live ! 
How dear to the heart it is to hold 
The name of one who, ne'er grown cold, 
Ever is there in life to heed 
The voice of the heart — to answer its need ; 
One who, ever, whate'er befall, 
Responsive is though mute be the call ; 
One in thought to thought so bound — 
Linked in close reciprocative bond — 
That though the lips speak not o'er-much. 
The language within the look — the touch — 
The clasp — the pressure of the hand — 
Speaks the meaning — "to understand." 
The years may not linger — they fade into past — 
But Friendship, enduring, the years may out-last, — 
And speech — how may it give or lend 
Enrichment to the name of — Friend ! 



[68 



HEARTH AND HOME 

HE went her way, day by day, 
Through Life's stern thoroughfare ;- 
The roses that had strewn her path 
Long had withered — only thorns were there 
Thorns to pierce her weary feet, 
Her empty arms, her yearning hands, 
As through the hour-glass of Time 
Fell the steady stream of sands. 
But of the thorns that Time had left 
Within her heart she made no moan 
As she went the rough-hewn path — 
Through the briers and over the stone. 
But whitened hair its story spoke, — 
The lines deep-graven on her face 
Life's harsh story mutely told — 
With mute — but unmistaking trace. 
And as she went her daily way 
And I her daily courage saw, — 
Her patience — resignation — all — 
Filled my wondering soul with awe; 



[69] 



Until at length my questioning lips 

Did seek the intent of her thought 

That led her on through life — to bear 

The burden with which her life was fraught. 

*'My life?"— she said— "Not here I live — 

But there where leads my hope most fond — 

There where wait with open arms 

My dear ones in the life Beyond. 

What though the way be long and weary — 

And though the way I go alone — 

When at the end to meet and greet me 

Are my dear ones, hearth and home !" 

"But,"— I cried— "if this world be all— 

If the weary way that now you wend 

Leads to naught but oblivion, — 

What if this world— it be the end?" 

"What then?" — she said — "I live in my hope, — 

If my hope should fail — why then should I weep? 

If my hope should fail I shall not know 

For my heart and I so sound shall we sleep." 



[70 



LOVE SONG 

O'ER the waters gliding 
Swift my bark does go, 
The gentle waves swift riding, 
The breeze so faint and low. 
Soft the moonlight gleaming 
Silvers night and sea, — 
Soft the moonlight beaming 
And stars are calling thee. 
To thy lattice speeding 
Swift my bark does come — 
Where my heart is leading 
To thee — to thee — dear one. 
Where my bark is riding 
Thy love is 'waiting thee, — 
Thy heart thy footsteps guiding 
Ah — haste thee, love, to me. 



[71] 



Awake thee from thy dreaming, — 

Come, my boat does ride 

Where moon and stars are gleaming 

And call thee to my side. 

Eager my heart is beating, — 

Ah — linger not so long, 

Awake thee to my greeting — 

Awake thee to my song. 

Too swift the moments fleeting, 

Ah — linger not so late, 

Haste thee to our meeting — 

Impatient here I 'wait. 

Where my bark is riding 

Thy love is waiting thee, — 

Thy heart thy footsteps guiding 

Ah — haste thee, love, to me. 



[72] 



THE RAINBOW 

X COULD not linger longer 
In this vale of tears 
Did not the rainbow lure me 
Onward through the years ; 
For though the skies may lower 
And shadows close enfold — 
'Tis said where ends the rainbow 
There lies a pot of gold. 
So ever on I struggle 
Toward the rainbow's ray 
Seeking for the truth 
Of that I hear them say. 
Though the days may weary 
Lengthening into years — 
Ever I seek the rainbow 
Gleaming through the tears. 



[73] 



A FANTASY 

^^:;^HE lure of the golden Isle of Dreams- 
x S'j Who has not known its charm? 
In those fair enchanting scenes 
Who has not found sweet balm? 

No fortune too poor to make the flight 
To that golden isle, — 
No fortune too poor to seek the delight 
With which it does beguile. 

Sometimes by the fireside's gleam — 
By its ruddy glow, — 
Sometimes by the running stream 
I on that journey go. 

The Fancy free — Thought in tune — 
No ban — no barrier bars — 
Though I sail by sun or moon 
Or through the twinkling stars. 



[74] 



And when I do that journey make, 
Ne'er my thought may tire, 
For on that journey I may take 
With me Heart's Desire. 

I visit dear or distant lands 

That Time has e'er refused, — 

But quite abashed old Time there stands. 

With edicts all confused; 

And scenes I view and wondrous sights 
Tongue could ne'er describe — 
Rivalling Tales of Arabian Nights — 
On that flight — its ride. 

As a panorama spread — 

Or vast kaleidoscope — 

Varied beauties — their charm ne'er fled— 

The heart and mind's full scope. 

And as I gaze, I there may see 
Pleasures I have known — 



[75] 



Joys too that eluded me 
I there may meet and own. 

And perchance 'way far across the sphere, 
In some dear old, quaint old place, 
Though passing strange it seems not queer, 
I meet fond-remembered face. 

And at length in my golden Isle of Dreams 
I come to my castle there, — 
In the sunlight it glistens and gleams — 
My castle up there in the air. 

Who and what my coming 'wait 
By the hearthside fire 
Of my castle whose gleaming gate 
I reach with Heart's Desire? 

Who and what await by the fire 
Of my castle, to me may be known, — 
But only to me and to Heart's Desire; — 
Each one must people his own. 



[76] 



A WOMAN'S SMILE 

>T^ IDE o'er the world my heart did rove 
Vl^/ Searching the earth for treasure-trove- 
Seeking the pot of gold that lay 
Concealed where ends the rainbow's ray. 
Deep, deep, I delved ; of life partook 
Till weary feet at length forsook 
Their wandering— ceased to roam- 
Retraced their steps and turned back home. 
There the pot of gold concealed 
In a vision it was to me revealed — 
And I saw where its fullness of treasure lies 
In the unfathomed depths of a woman's eyes ;- 
I saw where its wealth— riches untold- 
Lay fast in a woman's heart and hold ;— 
I saw where of life — all worth while 
Lay — for me — in a woman's smile. 



[77] 



THE SILENCE 

yjVY yearning heart reaches 

vLJ Through the silence it may not break 

With thought that ever beseeches 

And would your heart awake — 

Awake unto its pleading — 

Awake to its hidden want, — 

But the silence, grim, unheeding, 

Stalks, a spectre gaunt. 

Only the echo murmurs 

My thought — each poignant word, — 

Only the echo answers 

My heart — its prayer unheard, — 

Only the echo speaking 

Mocks my tortured hope, 

As dumbly, darkly, seeking 

My heart must ever grope. 



[78] 



THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS 

^^^::^HE girl of my dreams — I see her 
V ^V Ever — each day — each hour; — 
Ever — in w^aking — in slumber — 
I see her beauty's fair dower. — 
You ask me her picture — to paint it? 
Her picture — 'tis graved on my heart- 
Indelible, each feature is vv^rit, 
But tell me just w^here must I start? 
Her eyes — ^you ask me their color — 
Are they brow^n or of gray or of blue? 
The girl of my dreams when I see her- 
Her eyes are with lovelight true. 
Her cheek — is it fair as the lily — 
Or more with the damask glows? 
Her cheek, be it fair as the lily 
When I see her it tinges with rose. 
Her tresses — are they of ebon — 
Or lighter — more golden the tint? 
Her tresses — when I see them 



179] 



I see but the sunlight's glint. 

Vivacious — it she? Or demure — more shy? 

Is she coy — or free from all guile? 

Ah — could you see but the light in her eye ; 

Could you see but her witching smile ! 

Her stature — you ask? Her inches 

I can tell to minutest part — 

The girl of my dreams — she reaches — 

She reaches just to my heart. 

And now I have painted her picture — 

The girl of my dreams is revealed ; — 

Her picture — you see it, — no feature 

Have I hidden or left concealed. 



[80] 



THE QUIET OF NIGHT 

'OFTLY the Night hovers 
O'er the weary day 
As the sun's last lingering gleam 
Fades in the west away. 
Earth that with the daylight 
Spoke with busy hum — 
Her voice with evening shadows 
Grows faint —the day's work done. 
Softly the Night hovering 
Draws the earth to her breast ; 
Holding — enfolding, — crooning — soothing,- 
Night cradles the earth to rest. 



[81] 



FORGETFULNESS 

GHIDE not the heart that seems to live — 
That seems to live and forget, — 
See you the blood that the heart may bleed 
In the struggle to live — to forget? 
The sun that sheds its golden rays 
Upon the daylight hours — 
Sees the sun the night that falls — 
The midnight pall that lowers? 
The sun that sheds its golden rays — 
Its lingering gleam is brief, — 
Lengthening the shadows of night that creep 
And hold in torturing grief. 
Not in the gay and festive scene 
May the heart forget its sorrow, — 
But the heart in the vivid — the living throng 
May struggle to live the morrow. 



[82] 



HIDDEN 

SARING along a rough road 
That seemed to never end, 
Through ruts and rocks and brambles 
The way seemed but to wend. 
The rocks, the ruts — they bruised my feet 
And the brambles caught my gown, — 
Thought dwelt but on the milestones 
To reach the distant town. 
Sudden, amongst the briers, 
As if it there did hide, 
A flower's blooming beauty 
My grudging eye espied. 
Its fairness and its fragrance 
Seeming so mis-placed — 
It seemed that fairer setting 
It fitter would have graced. 
My hand — it reached to pluck it. 
And then my hand I stayed — 
Wondering if its fairness 
Were better there displayed ; 
If some other wayfarer, 
Following after me 



[83] 



With heavy step and grudging eye, 

Its beauty rare might see. 

I left it there to greet him, — 

But thought had lost its bent, — 

No longer on the milestones 

Was it fixed intent ; 

But 'mongst the rocks and brambles 

I sought new beauties fair ; 

Not always did I find them — 

But I found that they were there. 



[84] 



WINTER 

V^s^HE trees have lost their vesture, 

K S'J The green of summer gown — 

The red and gold of autumn ; — 

The boughs are naked brown. 

The meadows and the orchards 

Lie drear and devastate, 

The mountains and the marshes 

Show bleak and desolate. 

The autumn chill grown colder, 

Where fallen leaves lie dead — 

The earth — frost and snow entomb — 

Their hoary mantle spread. . 

The skies, with pall, dark, somber. 

With lowering clouds o'ercast. 

Enshroud the sun, the moon, the stars,- 

Their brilliance — paling — past. 

The lowering clouds more sinister 

Grow with portent's form, — 

Big with rain and hail and sleet 

They speak the gathering storm. 



[85] 



The winds — they lash the naked trees, 
The clouds — they loose their hold, 
Their torrents pour, — with gust and gale 
Winter's arms enfold. 



[86] 



SLEEP! 

LEEP! To win thy favor — 
_ What favor could'st thou ask 
That heart would not discover 
And willing bear its task! 
To woo thy arms, oh Slumber ! 
Forget the sordid day, 
The hours of night — their number 
Yielding to thy sway; — 
The frenzied thought that fills 
The mind with spectres gaunt, — 
Grief's distorted vigils, — 
Grim care and carping want, — 
Those shapes that pathways haunting 
Pursue the restless day, 
And e'en with voices taunting 
Upon the night they prey; — 
Their forms to find effacement 
As weary eyelids close. 
And in thy fond embracement 
The heart finds sweet repose, — 
To drift as on the down 
Of bird's soft feathered breast 



[87] 



To realm whose graven crown 
Bears no word but "Rest"; 
The world — to lose its seeming,- 
Life — to lose its qualms, — 
To lose one's self in dreaming 
In thy seductive arms ! 

Oh Sleep ! To win thy favor — 
What favor could'st thou ask 
That heart would not discover 
And bow unto its task ! 



[88] 



REMEMBRANCE 

>Y^ EMORY'S ship gathers its lading 

v|^ As it sails the course of the years 

And takes from Life of its joys and its griefs, 

Of its hopes and its smiles and its tears. 

The skipper, Time, conning his chart. 

Through waters deep and shoal. 

Enters each port and stores in the hold 

Values of tribute and toll. 

Hid away in the cargo we find 

Treasures that none would refuse, — 

That ne'er would Time nor Fond Remembrance 

E'er their lading lose ; — 

Mementos of days and hours that now 

May cause the tears to start, 

And yet we hold them guarded — treasured — 

Deep in the depths of the heart. 



[89] 




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